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Biomedical subjects

M J Smith

Publications and source records attributed to M J Smith.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Emphysematous pyelonephritis: diagnosis and treatment.

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a rare life-threatening bacterial infection usually occurring in patients with diabetes mellitus and producing gas within the renal parenchyma and/or perirenal tissue. We add four cases to the 62 previously reported in the literature. The overall mortality is 38%, with only 29% survival for those treated medically compared to 71% for those given both medical and surgical treatment. Early diagnosis with the aid of renal ultrasonography and/or computerized axial tomography and aggressive early combined medical-surgical management are emphasized.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Human-environment process: a test of Rogers' principle of integrality.

Rogers' principle of integrality was examined through testing the hypothesis that healthy subjects who are confined to bed in a varied harmonic environment will perceive themselves to be more rested than those subjects confined to bed in quiet ambient environment. A two-group pretest-posttest design was used to gather data to test the hypothesis. The findings of the study revealed that the hypothesis was supported beyond the 0.05 level of significance. The integrity of the mutual human-environment field process was strengthened with an environment of varied harmonic sounds.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Pharmacokinetics and sputum penetration of ciprofloxacin in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Levels of ciprofloxacin in serum and sputum were studied for eight patients with cystic fibrosis who were infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Patients were studied in a steady state on a dosage of 500 mg every 8 h. Peak levels in serum ranged from 1.27 to 5.6 mg/liter (mean, 3.16 +/- 1.27), and absorption was rapid, the time to peak concentration ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 h (mean, 1.5 +/- 0.9). The antibiotic penetrated sputum well, achieving areas under the curve of approximately 46% of those obtained in serum.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Twice daily beclomethasone dipropionate administered with a concentrated aerosol inhaler: efficacy and patient compliance.

The efficacy of twice daily inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate administered by a concentrated aerosol inhaler (one puff twice daily-500 micrograms/day) has been compared with that of treatment four times daily with a standard dose inhaler (two puffs four times daily-400 micrograms/day) in 21 patients with stable asthma. Double placebo inhalers were used in a randomised crossover fashion during two four week treatment periods. Mean peak expiratory flow (PEF), mean symptom scores, and number of extra salbutamol inhalations required were not significantly different between the two treatment periods. Local side effects were more common during treatment with the four times daily active preparation; overt oropharyngeal candidiasis, however, was not found in either group during the study. On completion of the crossover study patients were transferred to the twice daily regimen. At the three month follow up all patients had remained stable and the outpatient PEF was significantly higher (mean 382 (SD 26)l min-1) than at entry into the trial (mean 345 (24)l min-1) (p less than 0.05). Twice daily beclomethasone administered by a concentrated aerosol inhaler appears to be as effective as the standard four times daily regimen in controlling stable asthma.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Behavioral technology for reducing occupational exposures to styrene.

We conducted a test of the usefulness of behavioral methods to control occupational health problems by reducing workers' exposures to toxic chemicals. Four plastics workers were trained in nine behaviors selected for potential to reduce their exposures to styrene, a common chemical with multiple toxic effects. Behavioral measures indicated that the workers quickly came to emit most of the behaviors. Measures of air samples indicated that large decreases in exposures to styrene accompanied the changes in behaviors for the three workers who had been selected because they most needed relief from their exposures and because they had opportunities to control their exposures by the ways they behaved.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1986

Vasopressin excess: relative contribution of volume retention versus direct actions on renin secretion and sodium excretion.

Three groups of dogs were studied to determine to what extent the suppression of plasma renin activity (PRA), natriuresis, and hyponatremia, seen with chronic elevations of plasma vasopressin (AVP), were caused by volume expansion or some other more direct actions of AVP. The dogs of group 1 (n = 7) were infused with AVP (0.36 ng/kg/min, i.v.) for 2 weeks, while water intake was maintained at a constant level. The dogs of group 2 (n = 6) were permitted to drink ad libitum during AVP infusion. The dogs of group 3 (n = 7) were infused with AVP while total body weight and volume were maintained at a constant level by use of an electronically servocontrolled water infusion system. Group 1, with fixed water intake, retained a large fluid volume (1.4 L), with an associated 36 mm Hg rise in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP). Associated with this hypertension and increased volume were a suppression of PRA and substantial decreases in plasma sodium concentration with increased excretion of sodium. With ad libitum drinking (group 2), only mild volume expansion occurred, with no significant elevations of MAP or changes in sodium excretion. With a volume expansion of 300-400 ml, there was a significant decrease of PRA and plasma sodium concentration. Group 3, servocontrolled dogs, exhibited no change in MAP, plasma sodium concentration, or PRA throughout the 2-week period of AVP infusion. Sodium excretion was mildly elevated only on the first day of AVP infusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1985

An abundant ubiquitous glycoprotein (GP100) in nucleated mammalian cells.

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with the 125I-Con A overlay and affinity purification with Con A-agarose revealed the presence of an abundant ubiquitous 100-kDa glycoprotein (GP100) in nucleated mammalin cells. The amount in cultured human and murine cells varies from 3 to 20 X 10(6) molecules per cell making GP100 the most abundant glycoprotein in nucleated cells. Peptide mapping shows that it is different from erythrocyte Band III protein. Several properties of GP100 suggest that it could play a structural role in nucleated cell membranes.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Is fibreoptic bronchoscopy in patients with lung cancer and hepatic metastases potentially dangerous?

Plasma lignocaine levels were measured in 18 patients with lung cancer undergoing fibreoptic bronchoscopy to determine whether those with hepatic metastases and disturbed hepatic function were at special risk from lignocaine toxicity. Peak plasma lignocaine levels were in fact lower in six patients with hepatic metastases and deranged hepatic function tests than in the nine patients with no evidence of hepatic metastases or dysfunction (mean +/- SEM 1.89 +/- 0.2 mg/litre and 2.60 +/- 0.3 mg/litre respectively, P not significant). The peak plasma lignocaine level did not correlate with tests of liver function but did correlate with age. Using a total dose of lignocaine of less than 400 mg, plasma lignocaine levels remained below the toxic range in all patients. The peak plasma lignocaine level correlated significantly with the amount of drug administered directly into the bronchial tree (P less than 0.05) rather than total dose administered. Patients with hepatic metastases from lung cancer do not appear to be at an increased risk from the toxic effects of lignocaine topical anaesthesia if moderate doses are used.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1985

The significance of the patient/family as a unit of care in working with terminally ill patients.

This study investigates the concept of patient/family as a unit of care insofar as it affects the treatment of dying patients. One hundred social workers in three institutional settings were interviewed to determine if the patient/family concept is perceived to be more prevalent in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, or hospices. The family's allowable involvement in care was found to differ in these settings as were some aspects of health care provided by professionals to the family. The concept of patient/family as a unit of care was a salient one, and the concept was correlated across the three settings with job satisfaction and other characteristics of an optimal model of care.

Attitude to Death↗
PubMed1985

Quantitative assessment of actin transcript number in eggs, embryos, and tube feet of the sea star Pisaster ochraceus.

Actin coding sequence cDNA probes were used to quantitate the number of transcripts in RNA from eggs, embryos, and tube feet of the sea star Pisaster ochraceus. Transcript concentrations were measured in both total RNA and in poly(A)+ RNA by titration and hybridization kinetic methods. Surprisingly, the actin transcript number in sea star eggs is two orders of magnitude greater than in sea urchin eggs. There are at least 2.9 X 10(5) actin transcripts per sea star egg, 1.2 X 10(5) per 48-h gastrula and 1.9 X 10(5) per 72-h gastrula. The number of actin transcripts per unit mass of extracted tube foot RNA is lower than in developmental stages. The relative abundance and size of actin transcripts was determined by Northern and dot blot analyses using probes containing actin coding DNA or 3'-untranslated-region sequences. The actin transcript in eggs and embryos is 2,300 nucleotides (nt) long and originates from the Cy (cytoplasmic) gene class. In tube feet, the most abundant actin transcript is 2,200 nt long and originates from the M (muscle) gene class. Tube feet also contain, at lower abundance, 2,300-nt transcripts of the Cy gene type expressed in eggs and embryos.

Actins↗
PubMed1985

Postprandial regulation of renal hemodynamics: role of pancreatic glucagon.

The aim of this study was to ascertain the quantitative importance of glucagon in mediating protein-induced increases in renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) during the postprandial state. Six chronically instrumented conscious dogs were each subjected to four protocols: normal protein control meal (C); high protein meat meal (M); somatostatin infusion and meat (S + M); and glucagon infusion. C produced small increases in RBF (12 +/- 2%) and GFR (14 +/- 2%) without changing arterial plasma glucagon. M produced marked increases in RBF (38 +/- 4%), GFR (41 +/- 5%), and glucagon (from 23.3 +/- 3.6 to 73.3 +/- 7.1 pg/ml) over a 3-h period. During S + M, RBF and GFR failed to increase while glucagon was suppressed by 36 +/- 8% over a 2-h period. When S was stopped, glucagon rose to 100 +/- 13.9 pg/ml over the next hour, yet RBF and GFR increased by only 14 +/- 4 and 10 +/- 3%, respectively. Glucagon infusion (3 ng X kg-1 X min-1, i.v.) markedly elevated plasma glucagon to 131.6 +/- 27.3 pg/ml, yet neither RBF nor GFR significantly changed. These data indicate that while a protein-rich meat meal does elevate arterial plasma glucagon, the rise is not great enough to elicit significant changes in renal hemodynamics. Thus, elevated plasma levels of glucagon cannot account for protein-mediated increases in RBF and GFR during the postprandial state.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Benign and malignant breast disease: magnetic resonance and radiofrequency pulse sequences.

Thirty patients with suspected abnormality of the breasts on mammography were evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a blind fashion. Spin-echo (SE) 250/30 msec scans were used to screen the examined breast. At the location of the suspected abnormality, inversion recovery (IR) 1000/30/300, SE 1000/30, and SE 1000/120 scans were performed. On the basis of these magnetic resonance images and experience with 70 previously studied patients, abnormalities of the breasts were grouped into five patterns. Ten malignant lesions exceeded 1 cm in diameter and were all correctly diagnosed by mammography and MRI. Of the remaining 20 benign conditions, four were suspicious for malignancy on MRI compared to eight with mammography. The shape of the lesion and the change in its signal intensity with different MR radiofrequency pulse sequences allows differentiation between a benign and a malignant process. On the basis of this preliminary experience, it seems MRI may have an adjunctive role to screening mammography. SE 1000/120 scans show higher signal intensity from carcinoma than from normal duct tissue, fibrocystic disease, and fibroadenoma. In this respect, it may allow some tissue specification in the breast.

Adenofibroma↗
PubMed1985

Penile fracture: diagnosis and management.

Corpus cavernosum rupture or fracture of the penis is an unusual injury caused by blunt trauma. There are few cases reported in the literature and controversy regarding initial conservative versus operative management exists. This experience adds 17 cases and suggests that optimal management be determined by demonstrating the presence or absence of a tunica albuginea rent on corpus cavernosography. If no rent is demonstrated conservative management is recommended. If a rent is present operative management is the treatment of choice.

Adult↗